Garment-supporter.



F. M. LINGO & E. J. KAUFMAN.

GARMENT SUPPORTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2,1909.

liatentefi Nov. 15, 1910.

Witnmwo UNITE FRANK M. LINGO AND EDVARD J. KAUFMAN, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

GARMENT-SUYPORTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 15, 1910.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FRANK M. LINGO and EDWARD J. KAUFMAN, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin andState of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGarment-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to the improvement of garment supports, and hasparticular relation to supports for mens hosiery.

The objects of our invention are to pro vide a simple and effective sockor stocking support, which may be readily applied and by means of whichthe sock o": stocking may be drawn and retained iiniformly about the legof the wearer; to provide in connection with our improved support,improved means for engaging the material of the sock or stocking andimproved means for retaining the crossed supporting strap members inenagement one with the other, and to produce other improvements thedetails of which will be more fully pointed out hereinafter. Theseobjects we accomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Figure-l is a view in perspective of our improved support in theposition ocmpied on the leg of a wearer, Fig. 2 is a sectional view online 00w ofFig. 1, Fig. 3 is a front elevation of one of the sockengaging hooks, and, Fig. 4 is a detail viewin perspective of thecrossed strap keeper.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout-the several views.

In carrying out our invention, we employ a flexible strap adapted to belooped or passed about the leg of the v wearer and crossed at theforward side of the leg, the ends of said strap carrying sock engagingdevices which are to be described hereinafter.

1 represents the strap which is formed of a single piece ofsuitablefabric or flexible material. At one end the strap is provided with aloop 1 and at a suitable point intermediate the ends of said strap, itis passed through a link-like coupling member 2 and about the outer sideof a central bar of said coupling member, which'isindicated at 2". Thiscoupling member is in the nature of a slip adjusting link of well knownform. That portion of the strap 1 which is passed through and extendedbeyond the coupling member 2, is doubled upon itself, the end of saiddouble portion of the strap being returned to the coupling member 2 andlooped about the central bar 2 of said coupling member, after which saidstrap end is secured by sewing or otherwise as indicated at 3 to itsbody adjacent to said coupling member.

With the loop 1 at one end of the strap is connected a transversemetallic link 4 and with a loop of the other end of said strap, which isformed by the doubling of the same, is similarly connected acorrespondingly shaped transverse link In the construction of each ofthese links, we form the outer parallel member thereof, with a centralenlargement 6 and opposite this enlargement, we provide the outer orfront bar of the link with an outwardly projecting shoulder or lug 7..To the face of each of the link projections 6, we pivot the flattenedhead or upper end 8 of a sock or stocking engaging hook 8. This hookcurves outwardly and thence inwardly and downwardly from itshead portionand is thence bent upward to form the usual hook arm 8. As indicated inthe drawing, the head 8 of the hook, is of a substantially rounded formand has its per phery so recessed as to form an upper side shoulder 8which is adapted when the hook 8 is extendin' at right angles with thedirection of the length of the link 5, to contact with the lug orprojection 7 of the link. From this construction, it will be seen thatthe engagement of the shoulder 8 and lug 7, will operate to prevent theswinging of the hook member 8 in one direction past a position at rightangles with the link, although it will have a free swinging move ment inthe opposite direction. This structure just described forms a stop forautomatically stopping the loop in longitudinal alinement with the webwhen the device is being applied to a garment, J

When the st rap 1 is made to embrace the leg in the manner indicated inFig. l of the drawing, (the outline of the leg being shown in dottedlines. at 9) and the forward or end portions of the strap are crossed infront of said leg, the hook members may be swung inward to facilitatethe engagement of the material forming the sock with the crotchesthereof. but it is obvious that the contact of the projections 8 andlugs T, will overcome any tendency of the hooks toward swinging orreturning in the opposite direction beyond an extension of an imaginaryline extending centrally and lengthwise of the strap, thus providing fora straight pull of the strap on the hook.

;Inorder tg prevent an undesirable down ward movement of the crossedportions of the strap, we have provlded a keeper member consisting of alink 10, from the lower bar of which is projected outward and upward akeeper tongue 11. The link 10 may be secured at the proper point to thedoubled portion of the strapl or the loop of said strap may be passedthrough the link 10 asindicated in Fig. 2, and a short section of strapcarrying the link 5 engaged with the other bar of the link 10. When thebody of the-strap has been made to embrace the leg in the mannerindicated in the drawing, the

V outer crossed member of the strap, is adapted, as shown, to drop intoengagement with the rear side of the keeper tongue Ll, thus holding saidcrossed strap member from slipping downward and insuring a propercrossing of theistrap.

It is-obvious that an adjustment in the length of the strap may beattained in the well, known-manner, by slipping the coupling member 2 toincrease or decrease the. length of the doubled portion of said strap.

From the foregoing description, it will be as maybe madew ithin t escope of the appended claim. What we claim, is:

In a support of the character described,

the combination With a strap, an end link on each terminal of saidstrap, said end link having a stoplug thereon, of a garment engaginghook member p-ivotally connected with each of said straptern'iinallinks, the head of said hook member having a shoulder adapted to engagethe projecting lug of said link and limit the swinging movement of saidhook member in one direction.

tures in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK M. LINGO. EDWARD J. KAUFMAN.

Witnesses:

A. L. PHELPS, L. CARL STOUGHTON.

. so In testimony whereof we affix our s1gna--

